Here's a Lullaby
by hannah-san
Summary: Roxas met Axel when he was 16. They fell in love. After a tragic accident, Roxas is left with no memories whatsoever of Axel. Can they rekindle their relationship as lovers, or will they forever be apart? -being edited-
1. Falling in love at a coffee shop

**A/N: I'm back! Haha, hopefully this is much better than the original :P I will still be using parts of the original, just as different chapters and with some major editing. So. I apologize in advance for any errors I make, and please feel free to let me know about them! *coughifanyonewantstobetathat'dbeawesomecough* I'm gonna attempt to put another chapter up again right now, so yurrrr. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of this story, or the game Kingdom Hearts. A girl can dream, right?**

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"Oh, he's just blowing off steam. Work is stressful, you know."

My mother tried to explain to us many times why my father was abusive. Each time, the story changed a little. If she would fight back, threaten him, maybe he would stop hitting her. But for now, all we can do is hope.

"Mom? Would you like to go grab a coffee with me? Maybe it'll soothe your nerves. We'll be back before he comes home. I promise."

So, we went. That was the first day I saw him. He was gently handing out coffee, warning people of how hot their beverage is. I could see my mother smiling at me out of the corner of my eye. Even with her swollen, bruised face she looked beautiful.

"Mom, please don't embarrass me."

"Sunshine, no worries. Maybe he'll be the one."

I smiled and felt my face flush.

I made my way to the counter. He smiled at me, the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. His eyes glittered a gorgeous color of green. I noticed his name tag: Axel. It seemed fitting.

"What can I getcha?"

My face turned red. "Uh, just, um, a black coffee."

He smiled, "And for your gal pal back there?"

I laughed, "That's my mother!" He laughed too.

"Well, what is she having?"

"Same as me, please."

He looked in to my eyes, "I'm Axel."

"I read your name tag. How much do I owe you?"

Axel smiled again, "Uh, it's on the house if you tell me your name."

My face got hot, "It's Roxas. But I'd really like to pay for the coffee."

"It's on me Rox." I smiled and put my money in the tip jar. I thanked him quietly.

After grabbing the coffee, I followed my mother to a table by the window.

"Who is he, sunshine?"

I peered in to my cup, "His name is Axel, and he's gorgeous. That's all I know." My mother smiled.

"He's certainly easy on the eyes. And what a unique name. Is he…you know… gay?"

"Well, he was flirting, but I'm not sure."

"From the way he keeps glancing at you, I'm going to say yes."

I stayed at the café till Axel got off work. My mother had left after she finished her cup of coffee. I hope he knew I waited for him. He came out of the kitchen, "Roxy-boy! You're still here?"

I blushed, "Uh, yeah."

He smirked, "And why? Were you waiting around for little old me?"

Play hard to get, my mother always told me that. I turned my back and walked toward the door. "It's a possibility." _1…2…3…_

"Roxas! Wait."

I smiled and turned around to face him, "Yes?"

"How'd you get here?"

"Why, I walked."

"May I give you a ride?"

Love at first sight? I think so. Axel and I spoke on the way home. He's 21, almost 22. He's a junior at the community college. He's majoring in communications. As he approached my house, I felt rushed to tell him the way I feel. But I didn't want to scare him off. He pulled in to the driveway, "May I walk you to your door?"

"If you'd like to."

And he did. We stood on the porch. "Rox, I am glad you came in to the shop today."

I was nervous. "Yeah?" My voice squeaked. He leaned down and kissed me gently. I could feel him putting something in my pocket. He smiled.

"Call me sometime.


	2. You can always go downtown

**A/N: Aha! I am on a roll. Two in one night? yspls. Huzzah, I am so proud! My chapters are relatively short, but I will have some longer ones in the future, or else this will end up being a million chapters. Like seriously. And as ever, I apologize for any mistakes!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, or any of the characters in it. And I did take the chapter title from Petula Clark's "Downtown" which I also do not own.**

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Axel walked away; I could hear yelling the house. I was scared to walk in. I should have invited him in because at the very least it would have stopped the arguing. I mean, I did want him to come in anyway; it just would've been nice. I twisted the doorknob; a plate crashed to the floor; my heart pounded. I couldn't bear to walk inside. I turned around and walked off the porch. I couldn't face him quite yet.

The streets would be my haven tonight. I wandered out of my quaint suburb and in to the harsh reality of downtown Hollow Bastion. It was full of boarded houses, prostitutes, bars, and pawn shops. A clean part did exist, with extravagant theatres and opera houses. But I prefer the nitty-gritty, dirty city feel. I like the adrenaline rush of being in a dangerous place, constantly having to watch your back.

I walked and walked, finally reaching the part of town I enjoyed. I had no idea what to do with myself. Anything is possible down here. I got teased by whores, pushed in to bars, shoved around by drunks, and I loved it.

I made my way in to a bar of choice. I frequent here, not for the alcohol, as I'm only sixteen, but for the atmosphere. As I said, it gives me a rush. I peeked around at the patrons sitting around the dimly-lit bar. I saw the familiar flash of red hair. I immediately smiled, "Axel!"

He turned around, "Rox, what are you doing down here?" He stumbled over to me.

"Well. I like to wander around the city when I don't feel like being at home."

He frowned slightly. "You shouldn't be down here. Bad people come out at these hours. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Axe, I'll be fine. I'm a big boy. I've been coming around here for a while. I like the way it makes me feel."

Axel smiled, "Let me treat you."

And treat me he did. He bought me drink after drink. We got to know each other, our drunken selves muttering secrets without shame. How could one fall for someone so easily? It happened in the blink of an eye. He was gorgeous, yes, but Axel and I... we just go.

If I hadn't been so distracted by Axel, I would've noticed the pink-haired man staring at us the whole time. I was unaware of him until he followed me in the restroom. "Little young to be in a bar, don't you think?"

I looked at him, "What's it to you?"

He smiled. "Wouldn't want a pretty little thing like you getting hurt. I'm Marluxia."

"Roxas. Now if you don't mind, I've got to be getting back to my friend."

"You're with Axel, right? We're good friends. I'll escort you back to him."

I washed my hands and walked out of the bathroom. Marluxia followed.

Axel smiled when he saw I had returned. His smiled faded when he saw Marluxia behind me. "I see you've met Marly."

"Uh. Yeah. He said you guys were friends."

"I guess you could call us that." Axel looked over to Marluxia.

Marluxia smirked, "I you don't mind Axe,, I'll be returning to my date."

Axel just nodded. I looked up at him. "Do you think we could leave? He makes me uncomfortable."

"I was just thinking the same thing." He showed me to the door.


	3. Drinks and school skipping

**A/N: I was proud of two, but completely flabbergasted with three. I'm pretty much just trying to get as much as I can up. I only have a little bit more written down, and it wouldn't even be a full chapter. But this is all just pre-Roxas losing his memory. So. I hope you like it :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. kthnx.**

I followed him as we walked down the street. "Axel? Where are we going?"

He turned to look back at me, "I thought maybe we could go back my apartment. Unless of course, you would like me to drive you home."

I looked at my feet. "I don't think I want to go home tonight, Axe."

Axel simply stared at me. "What's on your mind?"

"It's nothing. I would just rather spend my time with you than with my father."

He looked concerned. "If you're ever in trouble, you've got a place to stay. My door is always open for you." I thanked him quietly.

I noticed as we walked, Axel moved closer to me. We were only centimeters away. I looked in to his eyes. He grasped my hand and made my face turn pink. Surprisingly, I was not ashamed or embarrassed of holding another man's hand. It just felt so right.

"Hey Rox, this way bud." He pulled me down an alley. I noticed how dingy the buildings looked.

"Do you live here?"

He nodded and said, "It's not the greatest, but it's affordable. College is tough on the wallet." I laughed.

We stepped in to the lobby of his apartment building. Axel grabbed his mail and we made our way up the stairs. "It's most likely a mess, I haven't been home yet today."

I smiled, "No need to worry about the state of your apartment. Messy makes it feel like home."

Axel smiled and unlocked the door. "Home sweet home." He sat on the couch, "Where are you sleeping? Bed or couch?"

"Well where are you sleeping?"

"Wherever you're not."

"Well in that case, I'll take the couch."

"Roxy, you don't need to do that for me. I don't mind the couch."

"I want to sleep here." Axel sighed.

Axel took the liberty of grabbing blankets for me. As he did so, I explored his apartment. The kitchen was small. It only had a fridge, a stove, and minimal counter space. There was a table for two in the corner. The bathroom had a mirror cabinet, a toilet, and a small shower. The living room was also small. There was only a couch and a coffee table. I did not go in to his bedroom; it just didn't seem polite.

I heard Axel come out of the hallway, blankets and pillow in hand. "Rox, I could only find these." He reached his arms out and showed the two blankets and the pillow.

"That's fine, it's all I need."

He smiled, "Well, I'm gonna wash up and head to bed."

I looked at him, "Good night, Axel."

He stepped close. I became nervous. His face leaned down to reach mine. He kissed me gently, "Good night, Rox."

I slowly made my bed wondering if maybe Axel would come back out for round two. My lips still felt his kiss and I longed for more. As I crawled in to the blankets, I heard Axel shut the door of his bedroom. My heart dropped slightly; the couch was lonely. I tried to fall asleep but I could with him only a few feet away. I argued with myself till I finally got the courage to walk to his bedroom.

Quietly opening the door, I found Axel sprawled out in the center of his bed. He was snoring. I couldn't help but to smile. It was enticing, and just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. My heart fluttered and I suddenly felt quite stupid for standing there with my blanket. Axel stirred; it gave me the jitters. A small moan escaped his lips, "Rox?" It happened to be my name. He sat up, "Roxas what're you doing?"

I looked toward the floor feeling embarrassed, "I couldn't sleep."

He smiled, "C'mere." And I did. I was right next to his bed. "C'mon, crawl in. It's fine. I was actually wondering when you'd come in here. It gets lonely out there, doesn't it?"

I just smiled, "Yeah, It does."

I lifted his blanket and crawled underneath. He looked in my eyes, "This… this feels right too. Whatever it is, anyway. I just feels good to be around you, Roxas."

My smile grew. I don't know if it was the alcohol or the aura given off by Axel, but I felt fuzzy and happy. It was just the happiest I had been in my life. Just lying in bed, Axel's limp arm draped over my torso, made the happiest man in all of Hollow Bastion.

Waaking in the morning was an… experience. I was alone, but the glorious smell of breakfast delights were seeping in through the closed door. I made my way out of the bedroom to find a shirtless Axel flipping bacon. "G'morning Roxy," I smiled as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, "I thought I'd make you some breakfast. Are you hungry?"

I nodded. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Uh…" he looked at the clock, "about 7:30."

"Oh, shit! I've got to get to school, Axel. Class starts at eight."

He put down his spatula, "Let me drive you, please." Reluctantly, I agreed.

By the time I got dressed and ready to go, Axel was waiting by the door with his keys and a breakfast sandwich, "I can't be sending off my baby with an empty stomach."

I smiled, something I was getting used to around Axel. "Just shuddup, we need to get out of here. I can't be late."

Axel smirked, "Such a dork…"

His car was parked out by the street. Well, his heap of metal, rather. "Axe, I can't believe you drive this… thing."

"Hey, don't knock the bus. My grandpa gave this to me when he passed. Now, she needs some work, but I think I can really put her in to shape. And it's not like you haven't ridden in it before. You love it, Rox, don't lie." I opened the rusty passenger door, a highly audible squeak coming from the hinges. "It's ten minutes to your school, and we've got approximately… 6."

"Well gosh darn, let's get moving!"

Axel turned the keys in the ignition receiving only a few clicks from the engine. "Come on darling, turn over. You can do it."

"Acel, stop speaking to your car. It's strange."

"It turns her on. Watch…" He turned the keys again, and the engine roared to life. "See? Just gotta talk to her."

I looked at the clock, "Now please, let's go. I really can't be late."

He looked at me with gleaming puppy dog eyes, "Roxy, please just stay with me."

"Axel, dammit, don't do that. It's too tempting. And if my dad found out I skipped school to stay at some boys apartment, I'd be in so much trouble. He'd beat me senseless; then my mother."

Axel just stared at me. I don't think he could tell if I was being serious or not. "Well you're going to be late anyway. Why don't you just stay? We'll hole up here. Now one will know but us."

I pondered over his statement. "Fine. But you have to call me off so they don't call my house. Deal?"

"Most definitely. You're such a goody-two shoes."

"Excuse me Axel, but you've only known me for like two days. Maybe I'm a raging heroin addict or a bank robber. You don't know me."

I watched him shut the car off. He looked at me smiling, "Well then why don't we use this day to get to know one another?"

I smiled back, "Sounds like a plan to me." I stepped out of the bus and walked back towards the apartment building. Axel followed.


End file.
